Publications by authors named "Yitbarek Getachew"

Article Synopsis
  • Peste des petits ruminant (PPR) is a contagious disease affecting sheep and goats in Ethiopia, posing a serious economic threat to the pastoral production system; a study in the Borena Zone assessed the prevalence and risk factors associated with the virus.
  • Out of 384 serum samples tested, seroprevalence was noted at 32.1% for nonvaccinated, 68.8% for vaccinated, and 45.5% for those with unknown vaccination status; age, origin, flock size, and veterinary services were identified as significant risk factors.
  • The findings revealed critical weaknesses in vaccination efforts, with herd immunity below the recommended 80% threshold, indicating that Ethiopia's strategy for eradicating
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Background: Q fever is a worldwide occurring neglected zoonotic disease with great economic importance. The etiological agent, is a bacterium usually associated with subclinical infections in livestock, but may also cause reproductive pathology and spontaneous abortions in artiodactyl species including goats, sheep and cattle which are deemed to be the primary reservoirs of this disease.

Aims: The present cross-sectional and questionnaire survey was undertaken in three districts of the South Omo zone with the aims to comprehend the community perception of livestock keepers and professionals about the disease, estimate the seroprevalence of () in cattle and small ruminants and to determine the species of potential tick vectors of infesting cattle, sheep and goats.

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Introduction: Evidence suggests that the pathology underlying cognitive decline leading to dementia begins 15-20 years before cognitive symptoms emerge. Thus, identifying biomarkers in this preclinical phase is critically important. Age-related decrease in muscle mass and strength, a known risk factor for sarcopenia, frailty and cognitive decline, also affects the tongue.

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Background: In low-and middle-income countries, post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is the least investigated stroke complication that clinically is given little attention. Finding patients who are at high risk of having cognitive problems after a stroke could allow targeted follow-up and help with prognosis discussions, which would then contribute to improved treatment outcomes. The main aim of this study was to determine the incidence and predictors of PSCI among stroke survivors in Northwest Ethiopia.

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Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1(BoHV-1) causes respiratory disease, abortions, and genital disorders in cattle. Although BoHV-1 has been known to cause severe economic damage to the dairy industries, little is known about its epidemiology in dairy cattle of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The present study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and the risk factors associated with the occurrence of BoHV-1.

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Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is consistently ranked as the most economically significant viral disease and one of the top five livestock diseases in Ethiopia. Although FMD is endemic in Ethiopia, the epidemiology and the farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding FMD were poorly quantified. Thus, a cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to April 2022 to estimate the seroprevalence, identify the FMD serotypes, and assess the farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices on FMD in Addis Ababa city and Sebeta special zone, central Ethiopia.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study highlighted the prevalence of PTSD at 40.8% among war survivors in Nefas Meewcha Town, Ethiopia, emphasizing the urgent need for more research in low and middle-income countries.
  • Factors significantly associated with higher PTSD rates included gender (females at higher risk), history of family trauma, perceived stress levels, and mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
  • The findings suggest that individuals with a history of chronic medical illness, physical assault, or who have directly experienced combat situations are at increased risk for developing PTSD.
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Background: Epilepsy is the most common neurologic disorder which is further complicated by neurobehavioral co-morbidities, cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorders, and social problems. However, assessments of cognitive status of epileptic patients are far too low during clinical visits. This calls for early neuropsychological assessment soon after the diagnosis of epilepsy for a better treatment plan and outcome for epileptic patients.

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Background: Religious and sociocultural beliefs influence how people with epilepsy (PWE) are treated and cared for. Many communities in Africa and other developing countries, including Ethiopia, believe that epilepsy is caused by evil spirits and should be treated with herbal plants by traditional doctors and religious leaders. The combination of these sociocultural beliefs and the level of community awareness of epilepsy affect first aid practices in the management of epileptic seizures.

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Background: Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, with a significant increase in stroke burden over the last two and half decades, especially in developing countries. African countries are undergoing an epidemiological transition from being dominated by infectious diseases to being double-burdened by non-communicable diseases, with existing infectious diseases driven by sociodemographic and lifestyle changes and a weak healthcare system. Data on the risk profile, clinical presentation, and predictors of stroke subtypes are still limited.

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Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a non-psychotic depressive disorder of variable severity, and it can begin as early as 2 weeks after delivery and can persist indefinitely if left untreated. In Ethiopia, the prevalence of postpartum depression is high. There is a dearth of literature to determine factors associated with postpartum depression in Ethiopia, specifically in the study area.

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Background: Neosporosis is a major cause of abortion in smallholder dairy farms in Ethiopia. However, its status and impact in pastoral cattle production settings were uncovered. This study was performed with the aims of estimating the seroprevalence and associated potential risk factors for in Boran cattle in Teltelle district of Borana zone, Ethiopia.

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According to the global burden of disease 5.5 million deaths were attributable to stroke. The stroke mortality rate is estimated to be seven times higher in low-income countries compared to high-income countries.

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Background: The exact cause of brain tumours is still unknown, but disruptions of redox balance are thought to play a significant role in all stages of brain tumour development. However, the roles of free radical imbalance at different grades of brain tumour and degree of oxidative stress before and after surgery have not been addressed in prior studies.

Aim: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the redox imbalance among confirmed brain tumour patients.

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Introduction: Community-based health insurance schemes are becoming increasingly recognized as a potential strategy to achieve universal health coverage in developing countries. Ethiopia has implemented community-based health insurance in piloted regions of the country. The scheme aims to improve the utilization of healthcare services by removing financial barriers.

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Introduction: Internet addiction is characterized by excessive and uncontrolled use of the internet affecting everyday life. Adolescents are the primary risk group for internet addiction. Data on internet addiction is lacking in Africa.

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Background: In the mid-1990s, the development of combination antiretroviral therapy converted HIV infection into a chronic condition, with newly diagnosed patients now living longer than the general population. HIV affects both the central and peripheral nerve systems, resulting in a variety of clinical problems, including peripheral neuropathy, which is a common neurological consequence. Despite this, there is a scarcity of data on the extent of peripheral sensory neuropathy and its underlying factors in Ethiopia, necessitating this study.

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Background: Although severe acute malnutrition is a major public issue among HIV infected children, there is no prior evidence in Ethiopia. Hence, this study aims to assess the time to develop severe acute malnutrition and its predictors among children living with human immunodeficiency virus in Ethiopia, 2012.

Methods: An institution based retrospective cohort study was conducted in South Gondar hospitals among 363 HIV infected children from February 10, 2014, to January 7, 2021.

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Background: Equine herpesvirus (EHV) infections have major economic, health, and welfare impacts on equids. This study was performed in three selected zones of central Ethiopia with the objectives of detecting EHV-1, -2, and -5 in horses and donkeys with suggestive signs of respiratory tract disease and to assess epidemiological risk factors associated with infections.

Methods: A total of 58 nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected from donkeys and horses showing clinical signs of respiratory disease.

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Diabetes has become a major public health problem, with 4.6 million deaths annually. The number of people living with undiagnosed diabetes is on the rise and has a diverse prevalence.

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Background: To this date, there are 4 systematic reviews and meta-analyses studies about the burden and associated factors of birth asphyxia in Ethiopia. However, findings of these studies are inconsistent which is difficult to make use of the findings for preventing birth asphyxia in the country. Therefore, umbrella review of these studies is required to pool the inconsistent findings into a single summary estimate that can be easily referred by the information users in Ethiopia.

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Since December 2019, coronavirus diseases-2019 (COVID-19) dispersed into 200 countries and affected more than 70 million people. The clear picture of the SARS-CoV-2 infection is still under investigation. In this review, we evaluated whether C-reactive protein biomarker is able to predict the clinical outcomes or correlated with the severity of COVID-19 disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Key factors linked to PTSD included lack of proper personal protective equipment (PPE), age over 40, existing medical conditions, perceived stigma, history of mental illness, and poor social support.
  • * Recommendations to reduce PTSD rates include improving PPE supply, addressing the unique needs of high-risk healthcare workers, and raising community awareness to combat stigma towards those treating COVID-19 patients.
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Background: Early neonatal death is the death of a live-born baby within the first seven days of life, which is 73% of all postnatal deaths in the globe. This study aimed to develop and validate a prognostic clinical risk tool for the prediction of early neonatal death.

Methods: A prospective follow-up study was conducted among 393 neonates at Debre Tabor Referral hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

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